My Legacy

In the terrific movie “Steve Jobs” a character says, “what you make isn’t supposed the be the best part of you, when you’re a father, that’s supposed to be the best part of you.”

When I heard it everything stopped for a moment. During my career, i would think about my job all the time. I did spreadsheets on Saturday mornings, I would send e-mails on weekends and then complain that the recipients took too long to respond. My boss eventually banned me from sending him thoughts and ideas on Sundays.

Did I spend my free time trying to think of ways to be a better father? I did not. I was a father in between trying to be great at work.

While I wasn’t looking one son graduated from college and the other starts college next month. Obviously fathers (mothers too) are supposed to be providers and that requires a focus on work. But when being a good provider morphed into “this job is how I’ll make my mark on the world and create my legacy,” that’s when I got confused about what I’m doing here.

My legacy wanted to sit on my feet and be walked around the kitchen. My mark on the world wanted to hit me with cushions and fall down laughing.

Today, if I walked into the office I left three years ago, few would recognize me and none could name a single one of the “innovations” I thought were so important.

Even if I had been more successful and had my name on the office door, the best part of me, whether I knew it or not, slept down the hall and wished I would stop with the spreadsheets and play.